Tim Maudlin: The Great Rift in Physics: Tension Between Relativity and Quantum Theory Abstract

Present-day physics rests on two pillars: quantum theory—which is used to account for all the known physical forces save gravity—and General Relativity—which is our presently best theory of gravitational phenomena. But there have been severe difficulties trying to merge these theories, or to see them as both consequences of some single coherent fundamental theory. These difficulties manifest in different ways. Some of them concern the sorts of mathematical resources used in framing each of the theories individually. But some can be appreciated much more directly in a physical way. In short, Special and General Relativity were designed to provide a space-time framework for understanding local physics while quantum theory predicts phenomena that John Bell proved cannot be accounted for by any sort of local physics. I will give a quick overview of the sort of space-time structure postulated by Newton (and everyday folk), then the changes to that structure introduced by Einstein, and finally Bell’s Theorem and how it bears on the issue of the fundamental structure of time.

The lecture is part of the accompanying program for the conference “New Directions in the Foundations of Physics,” which will take place in Bohinj from May 28 to 31, 2026. The event is significant for fostering connections between science, research, and international cooperation. Leading researchers from universities such as Oxford, Cambridge, Columbia, NYU, and others will attend the conference. The conference is also supported by the Slovenian Convention Bureau and AmCham Slovenia. 

Tim Maudlin is Professor of Philosophy at NYU and Founder and Director of the John Bell Institute for the Foundations of Physics. Before joining NYU he was at Rutgers for a quarter century. He has a BA in Physics and Philosophy from Yale and a PhD in History and Philosophy of Science from Pittsburgh. His research interests lie primarily in the foundations of physics, metaphysics, and logic.

His books include: 

• Quantum Non-Locality and Relativity (Blackwell),
• Truth and Paradox (Oxford), The Metaphysics Within Physics (Oxford),
• Philosophy of Physics: Space and Time (Princeton University Press),
• New Foundations for Physical Geometry: The Theory of Linear Structures (Oxford).
• Philosophy of Physics: Quantum Theory (Princeton).

He is a member of the Academie Internationale de Philosophie des Sciences and the Foundational Questions Institute (FQXi) and has been a Guggenheim Fellow and an ACLS fellow.